rural roads

[cowman]

When I was getting the mail the other day the grade operator just happened along so we had a little visit. He said it was a struggle this year getting the roads in shape! Apparently the frost went out pretty fast, as well as the heavy traffic is pretty ferouscious!
He told me it wasn't just the oil patch traffic but the darned B trains loaded with grain! Farmers held off selling because of poor prices, but soon reality set in and they had to start moving it.
At one time all this grain was moved off the farms to the local elevator in small trucks, now it seems it all goes a long way in B trains? Roads that were basically built for horses and wagons have a hard time handling B trains?
When the government, in all its wisdom, decided to throw the grain farmer to the wolves, did they ever consider the consequences? Did they realize that when CPR And CNR got the chance they would abandon the lines and force the farmer and the government to pick up the cost?
The railroads were paid very well for building the railroads? In fact they continue to be paid very well through mineral rights? They have abandoned the lines but not the gravy train? Should the mineral rights they own go back to the crown? They were given the land and mineral rights to build and OPERATE the rail system!

[farmers_son]

And wanted to sell the rail lines to the applicable municipality complete with the environmental liablity !!!

Its becoming more of a struggle all the time for municipalities to keep the local roads maintained and repaired. In our area there is a lobby to get the county to put money into an indoor soccer facility in the urban centre, at the public meeting the other night when the county council was asked if the taxes would go up the Reeve responded by saying that they would not, but there would be less money to maintain and rebuild roads.....then he wondered why the public that live furthest away from the urban centre are opposed to the project !!!